Guyana 🇬🇾
Guyana is a country in South America with a population of 808,726. Its capital is Georgetown. The official currency is GYD, and the main languages are English.
Quick facts
- Capital: Georgetown
- Continent: South America
- Population: 808,726
- Area: 214,969 km²
- Density: 3.8 people per km²
- Currency: GYD
- Languages: English
- ISO code: GY
Where Guyana sits
Guyana 🇬🇾 is one of 12 countries in South America, with its capital at Georgetown. It covers 214,969 square kilometres — 83rd in the world — and is home to about 808,726 people, 162nd globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Venezuela. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Guyana compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Guyana sits closest to Bhutan and Comoros. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.
At 3.8 people per square kilometre it is far below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
English is an official language in 58 countries here, among them Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas and Barbados, and 53 others. The GYD is used by Guyana and no one else.
To see Guyana next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Guyana
Georgetown is on the Atlantic coast, in the Demerara-Mahaica region. For the flag, picture a golden arrow flying across a green forest.
The flag of Guyana: green, yellow, red, black and white
🇬🇾 The flag is the 'Golden Arrowhead': a green flag with a long yellow arrowhead edged in white, and a red triangle edged in black pointing in from the flagpole. Green stands for the forests, yellow for mineral wealth and a bright future, white for the rivers, red for zeal and sacrifice, and black for perseverance.
Region and neighbours
Guyana is a country on the north Atlantic coast of South America, between Venezuela and Suriname, with Brazil to the south. It shares land borders with 3 countries: Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname.
- Venezuela 🇻🇪 — capital Caracas
- Brazil 🇧🇷 — capital Brasília
- Suriname 🇸🇷 — capital Paramaribo
Three facts about Guyana
- Guyana is the only South American country where English is the official language.
- Kaieteur Falls is one of the world's most powerful waterfalls.
- According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name Guyana comes from an Indigenous Amerindian language and means 'land of many waters'.
Sources: Wikipedia: Guyana, Wikipedia: Flag of Guyana, Wikipedia: Georgetown, Guyana, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Guyana
- South American capitals quiz — match Guyana to Georgetown
- South American flags quiz — spot the Guyana flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Guyana
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Guyana those are:
- South America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- South America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- South America capitals quiz — match it to Georgetown
- Guyana capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Guyana
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Guyana
- Capital of Guyana: Georgetown — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 12 countries of South America
Nearby countries
- Argentina 🇦🇷 — capital Buenos Aires
- Bolivia 🇧🇴 — capital Sucre
- Brazil 🇧🇷 — capital Brasília
- Chile 🇨🇱 — capital Santiago
- Colombia 🇨🇴 — capital Bogotá
- Ecuador 🇪🇨 — capital Quito
- Paraguay 🇵🇾 — capital Asunción
- Peru 🇵🇪 — capital Lima
- Suriname 🇸🇷 — capital Paramaribo
- Uruguay 🇺🇾 — capital Montevideo
- Venezuela 🇻🇪 — capital Caracas
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Guyana flag?
The flag of Guyana is the 'Golden Arrowhead': a green flag with a long yellow arrowhead edged in white, and a red triangle edged in black pointing in from the flagpole. Green stands for the forests, yellow for mineral wealth and a bright future, white for the rivers, red for zeal and sacrifice, and black for perseverance.
Which countries border Guyana?
Guyana shares land borders with Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname.
How can I remember the capital of Guyana?
Georgetown is on the Atlantic coast, in the Demerara-Mahaica region. For the flag, picture a golden arrow flying across a green forest.